Disarmament in Review
UNLIREC officially launched its 1540 Programme with its first field activity in Grenada. This forms part of UNLIREC’s new 1540 assistance package for the Caribbean, which benefits from funding from US Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation (ISN), aimed at assisting States in the region in their implementation of the resolution. On 10 June 2014, UNLIREC, together with an expert assisting the 1540 Committee and the CARICOM 1540 Coordinator, met with officials from the Office of the Attorney General of Grenada and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to present the programme and the main conclusions of its national study on the country’s legislation in non-proliferation matters. During the meeting, UNLIREC expressed its intention to build upon the work that both the 1540 Committee and CARICOM have been undertaking in Grenada, and further assist the country in addressing the main needs and challenges arising in the implementation of the resolution.
During the following two days, UNLIREC chaired a roundtable attended by close to 15 institutions and agencies from Grenada to share the findings and recommendations of its national study on the current legal framework in Grenada vis-à-vis the obligations contained in both UN Security Council resolution 1540(2004) and the main international conventions and instruments on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, their means of delivery and related material.
Commending the progress made by Grenada since the adoption of the resolution in 2004, UNLIREC highlighted the need to enact specific legislation to address issues, such as transportation, transfer and transshipment of nuclear, chemical and biological materials, as well as adopt comprehensive control lists for certain items that are proliferation-sensitive.
Together with representatives of the various institutions present, a tentative work plan was drawn up with specific activities and training sessions, including the proposed visit by a South African delegation in July to address aspects of UNSCR 1540(2004) operative paragraph 3 (c) and (d) to assist Grenada in the elaboration of control lists and legal drafting on export controls, and the possibility of joining forces with the International Maritime Organisation, the US Department of Energy and INTERPOL to provide assistance and training in certain fields of law enforcement, port security and border controls and commodity identification.
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) forms part of the Regional Disarmament Branch (RDB), one of five branches of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). UNLIREC is the only UN regional entity specialized in disarmament and non-proliferation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Its main function is to translate the decisions, instruments and commitments of Member States in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation into action, at national, sub-regional and regional levels. In short, UNLIREC supports Latin American and Caribbean States in achieving and maintaining peace and security through disarmament.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org.) Please direct all questions or inquiries to Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at cowl[at]unlirec.org
